


A Mostly Perfect Morning

by bakercrown



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Magical Snowball Fight, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 07:50:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16530437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakercrown/pseuds/bakercrown
Summary: Remus and Tonks get a break from their stakeout when their mark leaves for a few days. They decide to have a snowball fight.Set during OOTP pre-Arthur's attack during December.





	A Mostly Perfect Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Is it too early for winter themed fic? It _is_ November and I know tumblr is getting excited for winter--I've already seen advent fic prompt lists going around. Anyway, I was doing fic prompts last night on tumblr and one of my buddies sent me several Harry Potter prompts--it put me in a Remadora mood!

Remus had just put away his sleeping bag for the morning from he felt something cold lodge into his back, leaving a large damp spot on the jacket Tonks had lent him the night before. He turned around slowly, to find Tonks grinning at him, her arms stuffed full of snowballs. She winked at him.

“Since our mark is away for two days, I think a snowball fight is in order,” Tonks said. She lodged a snowball just to the left of his face. “Unless you’re worried you’re going to lose, _professor_!”

There was a challenge in her face that Mooney just couldn’t turn down. Damn her. He couldn’t be falling for Tonks, it just wasn’t good for either of them, but it was hard to _not_ have feelings for her when she did stuff like this. It wasn’t like he could say no when she bobbed on her heels like that, eager for a snowball fight, insisting he was a boring old professor if he _didn't_ join her. 

And while he had loved teaching, he was still Mooney. Once a Marauder, _always_ a Marauder. 

“Is magic allowed?” Remus asked, picking up his wand from it's spot next to his tin plate of breakfast crumbs, smirking at her.

“Of course!” Tonks said. With that, she pulled her wand out of her sleeve (with great difficulty given all the snowballs she was holding), some of the snowballs falling to the ground in typical Tonks fashion. Remus' heart swelled at the cute sight before him.

"Damn!" Tonks shrugged and waved her wand. The snowballs that had fallen, plus the original ones that had survived Tonks reaching for her wand, began to lob themselves at Remus. Remus ducked. Not so cute now!

He waved his wand. The snow in front of him formed a small wall that each of Tonks snowballs made contact with. Tonks' jaw dropped and her face quickly twisted into a set look of determination. 

"That's it, Lupin, you are going _down_!" Tonks aimed her wand at the trees and snow fell off the pines as easily as if Tonks had shook them herself, the snow transfiguring itself into snowballs as it fall. Remus countered by waving his wand, directing the snowballs, which changed direction, aiming themselves at Tonks, who ducked and rolled with the skill that only an Auror could have. How could she be so clumsy in everyday life and yet be able to move swiftly when it counted? 

Tonks stood up now that she had survived the snowball assault. She grinned at him. "It appears I'm not dealing with an amteur."

"Nor am I."

"Let me guess--you learned how to hold your own in a snowball fight from my cousin--" Remus' heart sank. Sirius. Of course she brought _him_ up. All the girls had flung themselves at Sirius at school with the dedication of an Accio charm. Of course she decided those skills had to been honed with the help of _Sirius_.  "--didn't you?"

"And friends," Remus supplied. James. Peter. Thinking of them was too hard now. James, gone for almost a decade and a half. Peter, a servant of Voldemort. He felt less resentful of Sirius, briefly. 

"Well, I'm glad one of the Marauders lives up to the name," Tonks said. She pointed her wand at Remus' barrier and it morphed into several snowballs, all heading Remus' way. "Be a bit depressing if you couldn't keep up."

Remus flung himself to the ground, pressing himself close to avoid the fresh attack.  One of the snowballs brushed his hair, but didn't make contact. He stood up, now dripping wet, which was fixed with a wave of his wand. 

"Oh, I plan on it," Remus said. He packed another snowball with magic and sprinted towards Tonks, who shrieked and ran. Remus chased her into the nearby woods, their feeting kicking up snow as they left their protective enchantments. Remus wasn't worried about leaving anything for their mark to find in the snowball fight--if they left any signs of a snowball fight, there were Muggle teenagers living in the house next door who had spent every weekend for the last two weeks out playing in the snow like children. 

Tonks evaded him by finally placing herself behind a tall, thick tree, panting heavily. She reached down and packed some snow before launching a snowball at him that hit Remus squarely in the chest. 

"Ah, I've been hit!" Remus said, staring down at the snow dotting his chest. He had failed as a Marauder. Sirius must never get wind of this. 

Tonks poked out from behind the tree, still wheezing, but looking proud. "Do you give up yet?" She beamed at him.

"I don't know if Sirius has told you this, but a Marauder never surrenders!" Remus chucked another snowball at her. Tonks weaved out of the way like a Chaser dodging a bludger. She made a face at Remus. 

"Nah-nah, you can't get me!" She sprinted off to a similar tree. 

Chuckling, Remus took off after Tonks. He hadn't had this much fun in years! She took off from the next tree, fleeing deeper into the forest.

He almost wouldn't have found her, if he hadn't spotted a bright shade of pink changing with a flash to grey from behind a boulder when he stopped to rest in a small clearing. Camouflage! Clever, if she hadn't arrived at her hiding spot two seconds too late. 

Still, he didn't have to let Tonks know that he was here just yet. He could sneak up on her _if_ he played his cards right!

He pretended to squint into the small grove of trees surrounding him. He walked over to some snow-covered bushes large enough to hide an adult, parted them, pretending to get a good look to see if anyone was hidden there. He could hear Tonks catching her breath nearby. He didn't blame her, he glad she had hidden--he needed a moment to catch his own breath as well. 

"Not here," he mumbled, mostly to throw Tonks off. Let her think that she had him stumped. He _would_ redeem his honor. He peeked behind a nearby tree before slowly approaching Tonks' boulder. He bent down, which was when Tonks grabbed him by the collar and stuffed a great deal of snow in his face, laughing at him. 

Remus was coughing up snow. Tonks continued to laugh. Even though his pride was wounded, Remus still thought she looked beautiful--violet eyes twinkling and hair a lovely shade of steel grey. Merlin, he loved a woman with a good sense of humor. 

"You got me. Again." He sounded like he was recovering from a Stupefy hex. 

Tonks grabbed him by the collar again. "I did." Her voice was low and there was a note to it he had never heard before as she tilted her head at him. If it wasn't downright impossible, he would have thought she was flirting with him, it was almost _sultry_. They were so close that if he wanted, he could have kissed her. 

_She likes Sirius. She likes Sirius_. He was merely convincing himself he heard what he wanted to hear, that was all. He pulled away from her hastily before he could do something he regretted, something that would no doubt would change their relationship for the worse. 

"That was fun," he said, brushing himself off. 

Something flashed across Tonks' face for a second before the expression was replaced with a smile. 

"It was," her voice did not match the smile. Her tone was frostier than the weather. 

Had she picked up on his desire to kiss her? Was she disgusted that his cheeks were flushed with longing? Could she know that he still wondered what her soft lips would taste like? She must have, it was the only explanation that made sense. 

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "You know, I think I just remembered that I forgot to fill out a report yesterday for Dumbledore.Thanks for the fun, Remus." She marched back to camp, not waiting for him to catch up. 

Remus' shoulders slumped. A perfect morning had slipped out of his grasp. 

**Author's Note:**

>  _Sigh_. Remus! :l Talk to me about how frustrating and wonderful those two can be in the comments!
> 
> EDIT AS OF 11/23/18: This is a one-shot! I’m flattered that people want me to continue this, but I have no plans. :)


End file.
